Method and apparatus for crimping textile fibrous material



Nov. 3, 1.942. u A,| QDE Y' Z2,300,791

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING TEXTILE FIBROUS MATERIAL. v

Filed June 14, 1941 2 sheets-'sneer i ATTORNEY Nov. 3, 1942. A. LODGE2,300,791

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING TEXTILE FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed June14, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lll" d] l I .l1 I l Ill [`I\ ell| INVENTOR. A4a//A/ 0065.

' BYQMMZ? ATTORNR Patented Nov. 3, 1942 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOBCRIMPING TEXTILE FIBROUS MATERIAL Alvin Lodge, Meadville, Pa.: assignorto American Viscose Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation ofDelaware Application June 14,1941, serial No. 398,014

' (ci. 1li-s6) 14 Claims.

This invention relates to the crimping or similar distorting offtextilefibrous material inthe form of iilaments; yarns, tows, staple iibers, orthe like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method of progressivelycrimping yarn and the like and simultaneously pressing the distorted ordeformed yarn and the like to set the crimping or distortion thereinpermanently.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel apparatusadapted to effectively carry out the method.

Further objects and advantages will -be apparent from the description,drawings and the claims.

In the drawings, illustrative of the invention,

iFigure' 1 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the device taken online I-I of Figure 2,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line II--II of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a face view of a modified pressure plate, and

Figure 4 is an elevational view showing the arrangement of the modiiiedpressure plates.

The method of this invention involves the forcing of lengths of the-yarnor the like into a substantially circular or spiral form andsubstantially continuously reducing the eifective radius of the arcsubtended by the length of yarn, whereby the reduction in the effectivelength causes crimping and distortion of the yarn. A further feature ofthe invention involves pressing the yarn with repeatedly increased forceapplied substantially at right angles to the plane of the spiral orcircular arcs.

A suitable form of apparatus for practicing the invention is shown inthe drawings. As shown therein, a bed-plate 2 is provided with a pair ofbearings 3 and 4 for supporting a drive shaft 5 having keyed to each ofits ends the gears 6 and l. Two other bearings 8 and 9 are fixed to thebed-plate -2 for supporting the hollow shafts Ill and I'I respectively.A gear I2 keyed to "the shaft Ill meshes with the gear 6 while the gearI3 keyed to the shaft II meshes with the other gear 'I on the driveshaft 5. The bearings 8 and 9 are so arranged upon the bed-plate 2 thatthe axes of the shafts Ill and II are slightly misaligned angularly.Upon the adjacent ends of the shafts lo and I'I there are providedpressure plates ,I4 and I'5 whose opposed faces I6 and I1 arefrustoconical in shape, the cones having a relatively small altitudeextending longitudinally of the shafts I and II. The angularmisalignment of the shafts I0 and I'I may be adjusted so that theopposed surfaces I 6 and I'I in substantially parallel relationshipalong an apicad line as shown at A in the drawings or so that there ismore space between the plates near their centers whereV the yarn is mostcrimped and crowded. The pressureplate I5 is nxedly mounted on shaft I Iwhile the other pressure plate I4 is keyed to the other shaft I0. Theremay be employed resilient means, such as springs I8 and I9 guided onpins 20 and 2l threadedly engaging the bearing 8 at 22 and 23, to pressa slidable collar 24 against the pressure plate M. The pressure exertedby the springs maybe varied by adjusting the set-screws 25 and 26.-

A bearing 2l upon the bed-plate 2 is provided with a shaft 28 forrotatably suppOrting a disc 29 so that a portion of its peripheryextends into the gap 30 between the pressure plates at its widestopening.

yarn inwardly. This effect is in turn transmitted through eachconcentric winding so that the innermost winding is continuously forcedinto the bore of vthe shaft I0 through which it is 35 blown outside thedevice by a blast of ,air supplied through the pipe 32.

The yarn or the like may be supplied to `the machine in the dry form orsomewhat softened by means of water, steam, or a suitable plasti.- cizertherefor. The blast of air or, other fluid used to force the distortedyarn out of the de vice may be heated to harden the crimped or distortedyarn by assisting the volatilization of the softening agent from theyarn. Alternatively,- the air may contain suitable chemical compoundsfor effecting hardening, stiiiening, or setting of the distorted yarn.

Inspassing through the device, the yarn or the like is formed into aroughly circular or spiral arc which, after one revolution of thepressure plates, isforced into a roughly circular area having a shortereffective diameter so that a reduction of the eiective circumferentiallength of the yarn is necessitated. This is a cumulative procpressureplates Il and I5 have a portion of their 55. ess as a given length ofthe yarn is progressively A bearing 3I is supplied upon the bedplate 2forced radially inwardly along the pressure plate surfaces.` While thisprogressive compression ,throughout the cycle of operations that takeplace while it is between the pressure plates. The maximum pressure ofthe plates against the yarn is controlled by adjusting nuts 4i5 and 26.

The pressure plates shown in Figures' 1 and 2 present smoothfrusto-conical faces but modified forms of face may be employed. Forexample, the pressure plates may have plane faces arranged somewhat outof parallelism, or converging radial grooves 36 (Figures 3 and 4) ofwavy character may be provided upon the faces of the pressure plates 31and 38 corresponding to the plates i4 and I5 in Figures 1 and 2.Alternatively, one of the pressure plates may be provided with a flatplane surface for bearing against a frusto-conical surface of the otherpressure plate one or both of which may be smooth or grooved. Similarlyone plate may have a concave conical surface adjacent which the otherpressure plate having a convex conical surface of the same or ofslightly greater altitude may operate.

Other forms of apparatus may be employed for performing the'method. Forexample, one of the pressure plates may be held stationary, while theother pressure plate is rolled against the tow between the plateswithout rotation about a point centrally of its pressure surface. Inthis arrangement, the points of nearest approach of the two pressureplates move continuously around the plates in circular paths. In thiscase, yarn or the like is forced between the plates at the widestopening therebetween, and thus the insertion of the yarn into thedeviceinvolves a winding operation in which successive portions of the arc arefed between the pressure plates as they open. A disc lcorresponding tothe disc 29 may rotate in a planetary orbit about the pressure plateswith the portion of its periphery entrant between the pressure platesfollowing just behind the point of insertion of the yarn as windingcauses that point to move about the pressure plates.

While the drawing illustrates a form of the invention in whichfrusto-conical plates having straight apicad lines are used, it isequally possible to employ plates presenting somewhat convex Lsurfaces.Suchl plates may be juxtaposed more closely along one pair of opposedlines than at other lines in their surfaces, thereby providing for therepeated variation of pressure laterally of the Wound yarn.

v*As stated above, the yarn or the like to be treated may be in a driedunmodified form or it may be softened. It may also contain eitherincorporated therein or in a form of a coating such materials aspigments, fillers, dyes, lakes, reretardants, de-electriers, sizes orlubricants, such as are commonly employed in the particular fibers,yarns, filaments, etc. The yarn or the like may be made of any suitablenatural or artificially produced brous material, such as cotton, wool,viscose, cellulose acetate, etc. Likewise, it

may be in the form of continuous or discontinuous laments and it may beof any denier.

In the claims, the expression textile fibrous material" is intendedgenerically to include the various forms of the filaments contemplatedby the invention, examples of which are indicated in the precedingparagraph. This expression is further intended to exclude woven fabrics,the invention contemplating such fibrous materials as tow, yarn,individual continuous filaments, un-

woven bers, etc., suitable for subsequent manufacture into textilefabrics.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, thedescription is intended to be illustrative only, and it is to beunderstood that changes and variationsmay be made without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

VWhat I claim is:

1. In a method of crimping textile fibrous material, the steps ofwinding said material generally concentrically into a substantially atannular winding and reducing the effective diameter oi' the convolutionsof said material whereby the circumferential crowding of said materialcauses distortion thereof.

2. In a method of crimping textile fibrous material, the steps ofwinding said material generally concentrically into a substantially iiatannular winding and reducing the effective diameter of each convolutionof the material in said winding by progressively forcing saidconvolutions into the space occupied by each smaller convolutionadjacent thereto whereby the longitudinal crowding of said materialcauses distortion thereof.

3. In a method of crimping textile fibrous material, the steps ofdistributing the material in a generally spiral configuration, applyingpressure against said material at approximately right angles to theplane thereof and reducing the effective diameter of each convolution ofthe material in s'aid spiral by progressively forcing said convolutionsinto the space occupied by each smaller convolution adjacent theretowhereby the longitudinal crowding of said material causes distortionthereof.

4. In a method of crimping textile fibrous material, the steps ofcontinuously winding said material generally concentrically into asubstantially annular winding, pressing the external periphery of saidwinding radially inwardly, .applying pressure substantially at rightangles to the plane of said winding, and removing said material from theinternal periphery of said winding.

5. In a method of crimping textile fibrous material, the steps ofcontinuously winding said material generally concentrically into anannular winding, pressing the external periphery of said windingradially inwardly, pressing said material substantially at right anglesto the plane of said Winding, repeatedly varying the latter pressureagainst said material, and removing said material from the internalperiphery of said annular winding.

6. In a method of crimping textile fibrous ma-4 terial, the steps ofcontinuously windingsaid material generally concentrically into anannular winding, pressing the external periphery of said windingradially inwardly, applying various pressures laterally of said annularwinding and continuously shifting said various pressures as a unitcircularly around said annulus, and removing said material from theinternal periphery of said annular Winding.

7. In an apparatus of the class described,

means for winding a textile fibrous material generallyv concentricallyinto an annular winding, means for pressing the external periphery ofsaid winding radially inwardly, means for pressing said materialsubstantially at right angles to the plane of said winding, means forrepeatedly varying the latter pressure against said material, and meansfor removing the material from the internal periphery of said annularwinding.

8, In an apparatus of the class described, a member having a pressuresurface, a second member having a pressure surface facing 'the su-,rfaceof the first-mentioned member tilted somewhat from parallelism, meansfoi` feeding a textile fibrous material to an outer convolution of anannular winding thereof between said members means for rotating saidsurfaces about axes somewhat out of alignment, means for pressing theouter convolution of the winding'inwardly and means for removing theinternal covolution of said winding of material from between the twomembers.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, a rotatable plate, a secondrotatable plate having .a conical surface facing the first plate, saidplates being arranged in close proximity with their axes somewhat out ofalignment, means for feeding a textile fibrous material into thedivergent space between said plates, and means for rotating said platesabout their axes.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, a rotatable plate having aconical surface, a second rotatable plate having an annular surface offrusto-conical shape arranged in close proximity and facing toward theconical surface of said rst plate, said plates being arranged on axessomewhat misaligned, means for feeding a textile fibrous material intothe space between said plates at their external peripheries, and meansfor rotating said plates about their axes.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, a plate having arconicalsurface, asecond plate having an annular surface of frusto-conical shapein close proximity to and facing toward the conical surface of saidfirst plate in such a manner that one apicad line of one surface is'substantially parallel to the adjacent line of the other surface whilethe other opposed apicad lines diverge, means for feeding a textilefibrous material into a divergent space between said plates, and meansfor rotating said plates about their axes.

12. In an apparatus of the class described, two hollow shafts end `toend with their axes slightly misaligned angularly, two annular pressureplates mounted on the adjacent ends of vsaid shafts, said plates havingfrusta-conical surfaces arranged in substantially parallel relationshipalong one apicad line and with the other apicad elements in divergentrelationship, means for feeding a textile fibrous material between saidplates at their external peripheries at a divergent space, and means forrotating said shafts with said plates about their axes.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, two hollow shafts end to endwith their axes slightly angularly misaligned, two annular pressureplates mounted on the adjacent ends of said shafts, said plates -havingfrusto-conicall surfaces arranged with one apicad element in eachsurface in substantially parallel relationship and with the other apicadelements in divergent relationship, means for feeding a textile brousmaterial between said plates at their external peripheries at adivergent space, means for rotating said shafts with said plates abouttheir axes, and means for removing said fibrous material from theinternal periphery of said plates through one of said hollow shafts,said last-mentioned means comprising means for blowing air through i theother hollow shaft.

14. In an apparatus for crimping textile fibrous material, means forwinding said material into -the circumferential crowding of saidmateria] causes distortion thereof.

ALVIN LODGE.

